Important deadlines approaching as House fails to select a speaker
Lawmakers hinted that current speaker pro tem Patrick McHenry should be given at least more power so some bills can pass.
LEARN MOREPosted: 9:36 a.m. EDT Oct 19, 2023
After retracting her endorsement for Rep. Jim Jordan for House speaker, Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks reported receiving "credible death threats" and "threatening calls."
Miller-Meeks, the representative for Iowa's 1st Congressional District, initially backed Jordan in Tuesday's first round of votes but shifted her support to U.S. Rep. Kay Granger of Texas on Wednesday. Granger is a Republican serving as the chair of the Appropriations Committee.
After changing her vote, Miller-Meeks revealed in a statement that she had received threats after Jordan fell short of obtaining sufficient votes in the second round of balloting for House speaker.
“Since my vote in support of Chairwoman Granger, I have received credible death threats and a barrage of threatening calls. The proper authorities have been notified, and my office is cooperating fully,” Miller-Meeks said. “One thing I cannot stomach or support is a bully.”
Miller-Meeks continued to say that while she understood that voting against Jordan was not the “popular” thing to do, she still respects him but knew he was not going to get the 217 votes he needed to become speaker to begin with.
“Our party needs a consensus candidate so we can get back to the work forwarding appropriations, supporting Israel, and stopping the insane policies of the Biden Administration,” she said. “Policies that are causing sky-high prices and interest rates, an invasion of our southern border, undermining our national security, and bringing countless pounds of fentanyl and other illegal drugs into our country.”
Jordan took to X to condemn the aggressive tactics of his supporters in their quest to secure his election as speaker.
“No American should accost another for their beliefs. We condemn all threats against our colleagues, and it is imperative that we come together. Stop. It’s abhorrent,” said Jordan.
Furthermore, Miller-Meeks stated that anyone who tries to harm someone for simply having different opinions “undermines opportunity for unity and regard for freedom of speech.”
